Package with cover or support therefor



March 1952 L. 1.. SALFISBERG PACKAGE WITH COVER 0R SUPPORT THEREFOR 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Feb. 6, 1946 I INVENTOR.

' fl770R/VEY L. L. SALFISBERG March 18', 1952 2,589,735 PACKAGE WITH COVER 0R SUPPORT THEREFOR 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Feb. 6, 19

Patented Mar. 18, 1952 PACKAGE WITH COVER OR SUPPORT THEREFOR Leroy L. Salfisberg, South Orange, N. J assignor to Ivers-Lee Company, Newark, N. .L, a corporation of Delaware Application February 6, 1946, Serial No. 645,758

3 Claims.

This invention relates in general to the packaging or wrapping of small articles such as tablets or pills, or granular or powdered material in compartments or containers whose thin flexible walls are formed of sheet material, for example cellophane, metal foil and the like, and especially sheet material which has a thermoplastic or adhesive coating, so that juxtaposed layers of the sheet material may be caused to adhere together by application of heat and pressure, or pressure alone, to form a seal.

More particularly, the invention contemplates a package of the type which comprises opposed layers of flexible material sealed or bonded together in zones which form the margins or.

boundaries that encircle a commodity compartment whose walls are the spaced portions of said layers bounded by said sealed zones.

The invention also contemplates a package of this type to which is attached a cover or which is attached to a support, and one object of the,

invention is to provide, in a package of this character, novel and improved means for attaching the package to the cover or support.

Another object is to provide a package which shall include a bag or envelope having the commodities sealed therein, combined in a novel and improved manner, with a foldable cover that can be folded around the envelope or bag to en- I close the latter, or can be completely unfolded into a flat strip of material.

A further object is to provide a combination of a package, bag or envelope and a cover or support therefor wherein the package, envelope or bag'is secured to the cover or support in a novel and improved manner, and without the use of an adhesive or a thermo-plastic coating on the exterior surfaces of the package, bag or envelope,

or on the cover.

Other objects, advantages and results of the invention will be brought out by the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an envelope-type package embodying the invention, in condition to be attached to a cover or support.

Figure 2 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view on a reduced scale showing the envelope attached to a cover which is shown as unfolded or extended into flat condition.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the combination shown in Figure 3, with the cover partially folded around the envelope.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the combination shown in Figure 4, with the cover completely folded around the envelope. 4

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the combination package and cover, showing the cover partially unfolded.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of another type of combined package and cover embodying the invention, showing the cover unfolded.

Figure 8 is a side elevational view of the combination shown in Figure '7, with the cover folded around the envelope.

Figure 9 is a plan view of a plurality of envelopes combined with a display support therefor, and

Figure 10 is a side elevational view of the combination shown in Figure 9:

Specifically describing the embodiment of th invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the package, envelope or bag comprises two superposed layers 1 and. 2 of suitable packaging material, such as metal foil or cellophane, having their juxtaposed or contacting surfaces coated with .a suitable sealing substance, such as a thermo-plastic composition or an adhesive, but not having such a sealing substance on their outer surfaces. These layers may be of any suitable size and shape, but are shown as rectangular sheets. The sheets may be sealed together in any suitable manner, depending upon the commodity being packaged, but as shown, the sheets are sealed together in zones 3 which form the margins of commodity-receiving compartments 4 between the sheets in whichv the commodities 5, in the present instance tablets, are enclosed.

One marginal portion of one sheet extends beyond the correspondnig marginal portion of the other sheet as indicated at 6 so as to expose the adhesive or thermo-plastic coating. Conveniently, the two sheets may be laterally offset with relation to each other, as shown in Figure 2, as the package is made, after which one of the projecting margins 6 may be clipped off, although it is possible to make the package initially with one sheet smaller than the other and with the margin this construction, it will be observed that the small envelope-attaching flap 8 may be folded inwardly over the main portion of the cover during the operation of sealing the envelope to said flap, but the envelope will not be sealed or otherwise attached to the main portion of the cover because the exterior surface of the sheet 1 or 2 that contacts with'the main portion'of the cover is not coated with an adhesive or a thermoplastic substance, but the opposite surface of said sheet is coated with an adhesive or a thermoplastic coating so that the projecting marginal portion 6 thereof will be firmly sealed to the flap 8.

This construction is in contrast to the heretofore known type of covered package; e. g., like that shown in my U. S. LettersPatent No. 2,325,021, dated July 20, 1943, wherein the envelope is sealed to both the small flap and the main portion of the cover, and said small flap is positively held againstunfolding. It will be seen,

however, that with the'marginal portion 6 of the envelope secured to the small flap.9 near the fold line 10, the outer or free edge portion of said flap is spaced from the envelope so that the cover may be folded around the envelope and the free edge of the closure flap l2 tucked between the envelope'and the free edge of the flap 8 so as to hold the cover snugly folded around the envelope as shown in Fig. 5.

In this condition, the covered package may be conveniently carried in the pocket or handbag, and the envelope will be protected against injury that might accidentally tear it open. However, the package may be easily'and quickly opened for use by simply unfolding the cover, as shown in Figures 4 and 3, so that the envelope is fully exposed and accessible for opening 'either by tearing into the individual compartments or by completely removing the envelope from the cover.

In addition to this easy accessibility to the envelopeyth'e cover is adapted to receive printing or other inscriptions for the purpose of advertising or for supplying directions for the use of the contents of the envelope, and such printed matter is easily visible when the package is opened; and the whole of the cover from the fold to the free edge of the closure flap 12 may be 'used for printing because the printing throughout the length of the cover will be easily visible in contrastto packages wherein the small flap 8 is sealed in unfoldable relation to the main portion of the cover.

Where the envelope is used for distribution of pharmaceutical products, it may bedesirable to print directions on the inside of the cover and provide a scored adjacent the fold ID to facilitate detachment of the envelope from the cover, so that "a patient may be handed the envelope and the physician may retain the printed directions and give the patient such directions as he may deem advisable in case the printed directions do not wholly apply to the particularpatients condition.

A modification of the invention'is shown in Figure 6 where two of the envelopes l4 and i5, identical with the envelope heretofore described, are attached to the support flap l6 which corresponds to the flap 8 of Figures 3, 4 and 5. In this form of the invention, the projecting marginal portion ll of one package is attached directly to the flap l6, while the marginal portion l8-of the other envelope is attached to the side "of the marginal portion [1 opposite the flap.

More of the envelopes may be attached in similar manner as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

A further modification of the invention is shown in Figures '7 and 8 where the package is of the general type described and claimed in my above-mentioned Patent No. 2,325,021, except that the support flap I9 is unsealed with respect to the main portion of the cover 2|. The cover includes a closure flap which comprises two hingedly connected sections 22 and 23, the latter of which is adapted to be arranged in side-byside relation to and beneath the section 22 as the cover is folded about the package. The free edge portion'of the'envelope is folded inwardly at 24 and the free edge portion of the section 23 is inline or line of perforations l3 serted into the fold 24 as the cover is folded about the package so as to stretch and hold fiat the envelope 25 between said fold and the point of connection of t e envelope with the support flap I9. The section 22 is of a size to cover the size of the package opposite the body portion of the cover, and to 'close the cover the fold between the sections 22 and 23 is inserted between the envelope andthe free transverse marginal portion of the flap l9. With this construction, the engagement of the section 23 With the fold 24 in the envelope in conjunction with attachment of the envelope to the flap [9, holds the flap 1!! from unfolding accidentally:

Another modification of the invention is-shown in Figures 9 and 10 where a plurality of envelopes 26 are mounted on a supportwhich may be of any suitable form, but is shown'as'arelatively stiff .card 21. One of the sheets of each envelope has 'aprojecting marginal portion 28 corresponding to the portion 6 of Figures '1 and 2, and this marginal portion is sealed to the support 21 in the same manner. that the'marginal portion 6 is sealed'to the envelope-attaching or support flap 8. For economy in space, the envelopes may be arranged in overlapping relation to each other and each envelope held on the support by its marginal portion 28. To detach the envelope :from the support, 'it 'is merely necessary to lift the envelope and forciblylpull the marginal-portion '28 away from the.support.

Many modifications in the details of construction of the envelope or bag and the manner of combining it with various types of covers or supports will occur to those skilled'in the art as within the spirit and scope ofthe-invention.

What I claim is:,

1. A package comprising a flexible-cover strip folded into superposed sections and and envelope disposed between said'sections and including-two separate superposed flat-polygonal'sheets with the edges of one sheet in register with the edges of the other sheet except that one sheet hasan integral extendingportion projecting in the general plane of said sheet'beyond the'corresp'onding edge of the other'sheet, the surface of "at least said one sheet that faces the other sheet including said extending portion being "thermoplastic and the other" surfaces of said sheets-being non-adhesive under heat or pressure, said sheets being thermoplastically sealed together along all marginal portions of the second-mentioned sheet in zones forming and encircling a commodity compartment between the sheets, said extending portion of the first-mentioned sheet having only its said thermoplastic "surface heat-sealed to only the inner side-otonly'one of said sections of thecover "strip, the envelope being otherwise loose and free from said over cover section.

2. A package comprising an envelope including two superposed separate flat sheets of packaging material at least one of which has a thermcplastic surface that faces and is sealed to the othersheet along all marginal portions of the latter in zones forming and encircling a commodity compartment between the sheets, one of said sheets having an integral marginal extension with said thermoplastic surface beyond the corresponding edge of the other sheet, the other edges of each sheet being in register with the corresponding edges of the other sheet, the other surfaces of said sheets being mom-adhesive under heat or pressure, and a cover strip having a flap at one end foldable inwardly over the main part of the strip, said marginal extension of the first-mentioned sheet being sealed by only its said thermoplastic surface to only the inner side of said flap between the free end edge of said flap and the fold to connect said cover to said envelope and the envelope being otherwise loose and free from said cover strip, said cover strip being foldable around said envelope to enclose the latter and the other end of said cover strip being removably insert-able between said free end of said flap and said envelope to hold said cover strip in folded closed condition, said cover strip being transversely scored inwardly of said flap to provide for easy separation of said flap and said envelope therewith from the cover strip.

3. A package comprising an envelope including two separate flat polygonal sheets of packaging material superposed with the edges of one sheet in register with the edges of the other sheet except that one sheet has an integral extending portion projecting in the general plane of said sheet beyond the corresponding edge of the other sheet, the surface of at least said one sheet that faces the other sheet including said extending portion being thermoplastic and said sheets being thermoplastically sealed together in zones forming and encircling a commodity compartment between said sheets with the thermoplastic surface on said extending portion exposed so that said package can be connected to a cover by forcing said thermoplastic surface on said extending portion into contact with said cover and simultaneously applying heat and pressure to said extending portion, the other surfaces of said sheets being nonadhesive under heat or pressure.

LEROY L. SALFISBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

